Livestock includes hogs and poultry such as chickens. Hatching, breeding and raising of such livestock take place throughout the year in an open livestock building, a semi-windowless livestock building or in a windowless livestock building. In order to attain high yield through artificial rearing, rearing population must be large. Therefore, rearing locations tend to be in a cold district or in mountain areas. Further, since raring facilities of large area and odor management of livestock excreta are required, rearing facilities having fully closed structure are often used.
It has been known that exposure to light has an influence on animal reproductive function, and the degree of influence differs depending on the types of livestock animals. The difference in degree of influence is considered to be derived from physiological property and development during the evolution process of photoreceptors.
FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration showing a conventional example of the method of rearing chicks using light bulbs. Referring to FIG. 6, the method is for rearing poultry chicks in a wide rearing house 100, characterized in that the rearing house is kept dark and the floor is illuminated with a light source or sources to maintain lighted portions of a prescribed diameter in accordance with the number of chicks, and that the diameter of each lighted portion is gradually made larger as the raised chicks grow.
Specifically, on the ceiling of rearing house 100, light bulbs 200 (here, incandescent bulbs of 100 W) and auxiliary light bulbs 400 are arranged to be turned on through a SLIDAC (not shown). Each light bulb 200 has a conical shade 300 that can be opened/closed, and by adjusting the opening of shade 300, the diameter of a lighted portion 700 on the floor irradiated with the light bulb can be changed.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 05-199823
Appropriate control of the amount of light to which the livestock is exposed is one important factor that influences the growth of livestock. No matter whether the artificial rearing installation uses artificial light only or uses combination of artificial and natural light, a light source is indispensable in the artificial rearing installation. Particularly in the case of poultry, sexual maturation depends on day length and, therefore, somatic growth and ovulation are industrially controlled using light illumination, contributing to stable supply of meat and egg productions.
In conventional artificial rearing installations, however, incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps or halogen lamps are used as light sources, which require much energy and involve high cost of electric power. Further, since incandescent lamps have short life, considerable cost and labor are required for exchanging bulbs.
In addition, light emitted from such light sources include infrared rays that unnecessarily increase the temperature in the livestock building. If water used for cleaning the livestock building should splatter on a hot light bulb, the glass shatters and flies. Since the bulbs have short life and must be exchanged frequently, there is high risk that the glass shatters and flies at the time of exchange.
Therefore, in the field of artificial rearing, there is a demand for higher safety and economic efficiency.
The technology presented herein was made to solve the above-described problems and its object is to provide a poultry raising system, poultry raising method and luminescent device for raising poultry that can increase meat and egg yield.
Another object of the present technology is to provide a poultry raising system, poultry raising method and luminescent device for raising poultry that can improve safety and economic efficiency.
Through intensive study to attain the objects described above, the inventors have found that irradiation of poultry including chicken with light of specific wavelength using a luminescent device including a semiconductor light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp for illumination having the shape of a light bulb is effective in increasing meat and egg yield. Further, they have also found that the light-bulb-shaped LED lamp for illumination also attains superior safety and economic efficiency. The present technology is made based on such findings.
In order to attain the above-described features, according to an aspect, the example embodiments presented herein provides a poultry raising system including a poultry house and facilities attached to the poultry house, wherein the facilities include lighting facilities for irradiating poultry with light; and the lighting facilities include a semiconductor light source, for irradiation with light having peak wavelength in the range of 550 to 650 nm emitted from the semiconductor light source.
According to the present embodiment, by the poultry raising system, the poultry is irradiated with light having peak wavelength in the range of 550 to 650 nm.
The wavelength range of 550 to 650 nm is suitable since it has good influence on sexual maturation of poultry. The light in this wavelength range stimulates the hypothalamic area through visual perception, and has positive influence on the instinctive need to eat food and to sleep and on hormone secretion to attain good condition of internal organs. Therefore, it is preferred that the light for irradiation is in this wavelength range.
If the light emitted from the semiconductor light source has a peak wavelength shorter than 550 nm, it means that the light includes ultraviolet rays that cause stress on the poultry and have bad influence on meat and egg production. Further, it leads to pest infection harmful to poultry. If the light emitted from the semiconductor light source has a peak wavelength longer than 650 nm, it means that the light includes infrared rays that unnecessarily increase the temperature in the poultry house, causing heat stress on the poultry trying to avoid increase of body temperature.
Therefore, the light emitted from the semiconductor light source should preferably have the peak wavelength in the range of 550 to 650 nm and more preferably in the range of 580 to 620 nm. More preferable range is 590 to 610 nm. The light in such wavelength range exhibits the color of incandescent lamp, which promotes growth and fattening of livestock.
Use of a semiconductor light source enables emission of only the light having the peak wavelength in the specific range mentioned above. As a result, poultry is exposed to light having the wavelength effective in growth and fattening of the poultry, so that meat and egg yield can be increased. Further, a semiconductor light source has high conversion efficiency from electricity to light. Therefore, when a semiconductor light source is used as a light source, power cost can be reduced, attaining high economic efficiency. Further, since the power consumption can be reduced, amount of CO2 emission can be reduced.
Further, a semiconductor light source hardly generates heat. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk that a glass globe covering the semiconductor light source is shattered as it is cooled abruptly. Further, increase of the poultry house temperature caused by the light from the light source can be prevented. In addition, since a semiconductor light source has long life, the number of exchanging the light source can be reduced, and hence the danger, cost and labor of exchanging can be reduced. A semiconductor light source can be used at an electric field level not causing dielectric breakdown in high-moisture environment even if it is used with a common driving circuit and a common current lead-in wire, and hence, possibility of electric leakage is low.
As a result, a poultry raising system that can improve meat and egg yield can be provided. Further, a poultry raising system that can improve safety and economical efficiency can be provided.
Preferably, the light emitted from the lighting facilities attains illuminance of 1 to 30 lx at the eye level of the poultry.
In the poultry raising system in accordance with the present embodiment, the poultry is irradiated with the light having the illuminance of 1 to 30 lx at the eye level of the poultry.
If the illuminance is lower than 1 lx at the eye level of the poultry, it is dark and the poultry becomes less active and comes to eat less. This has bad influence on somatic growth. Further, it is too dark for people to work. If the illuminance is higher than 30 lx at the eye level of the poultry, the poultry becomes too active. Though they eat food, it does not lead to notable somatic growth, resulting in undesirable feed requirement.
When the poultry is exposed to the light of 1 to 30 lx, appropriate activity of poultry can be attained, feed requirement can be improved and notable somatic growth can be attained.
Preferably, the lighting facilities further include an illuminance adjusting mechanism capable of continuous or stepwise adjustment of illuminance of emitted light, from the highest illuminance in the range of 1 to 30 lx at the eye level of the poultry to illuminance at the time of power off.
According to the present embodiment, the poultry is exposed to light with the illuminance adjusted stepwise or continuously from the highest to turn-off. Therefore, different from when illuminance is switched instantaneously, birds do not rush to feeders of food and water. The birds try to eat much food before it gets dark and, therefore, it is possible to urge the poultry to eat large amount of food. Further, by exposing the poultry to the light of 1 to 30 lx, appropriate activity of poultry can be attained, feed requirement can be improved and notable somatic growth can be attained.
Preferably, the lighting facilities further include a height adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting height of the semiconductor light source such that emitted light attains illuminance in the range of 1 to 30 lx at the eye level of the poultry.
According to the present embodiment, the height of semiconductor light source can be adjusted such that the illuminance of 1 to 30 lx is attained at the eye level of the poultry. Therefore, even when the light source is changed to a semiconductor light source of a different type or of different output, the illuminance can be adjusted to be 1 to 30 lx at the eye level of the poultry. By exposing the poultry to the light of 1 to 30 lx, appropriate activity of poultry can be attained, feed requirement can be improved and notable somatic growth can be attained.
More preferably, the lighting facilities further include a swing reducing mechanism for reducing swing of the semiconductor light source.
According to the embodiment, swing of the semiconductor light source can be reduced. Therefore, fluctuation of illuminance at the eye level of the poultry can be reduced.
More preferably, the height adjusting mechanism is a fixing rope suspending the semiconductor light source from an anchor point where the semiconductor light source is mounted on the poultry house, allowing adjustment of length between the semiconductor light source and the anchor point; and the swing reducing mechanism is an auxiliary rope capable of limiting amplitude of pendulum motion of the semiconductor light source suspended from the anchor point.
According to the present embodiment, the height of semiconductor light source can be adjusted and the swing of semiconductor light source can be reduced, with a simple structure at low cost.
Preferably, the light emitted from the lighting facilities is in a color temperature range of incandescent lamp color.
By the poultry raising system in accordance with the present embodiment, the poultry is exposed to light in the color temperature range of incandescent lamp. Specifically, the color temperature range of incandescent lamp is 2500 to 4000K. This promotes growth and fattening of poultry.
Preferably, the light emitted from the lighting facilities is in a chromaticity coordinate range of incandescent lamp color.
By the poultry raising system in accordance with the present embodiment, the poultry is exposed to light in the chromaticity coordinate range of incandescent lamp. Specifically, the range of chromaticity coordinates corresponding to the incandescent lamp is a range in a rectangle having four points of (x, y)=(0.421, 0.377), (0.457, 0.386), (0.490, 0.442) and (0.447, 0.431) as vertexes. This range promotes growth and fattening of poultry.
Preferably, the poultry house is a windowless poultry house. The windowless poultry house has no window.
According to the embodiment, external light to the poultry house is shielded. Therefore, only the light from the semiconductor light source has the influence on the poultry. As a result, undesirable influence of external light can be avoided.
Preferably, the semiconductor light source includes a light emitting diode or a laser diode.
Preferably, the semiconductor light source is a light-bulb-shaped LED lamp for illumination. By using the light-bulb-shaped LED lamps for illumination, it becomes easier to design lighting of a large area with uniform brightness.
According to another aspect, the present embodiment provides a method of raising poultry in a poultry raising system including a poultry house and facilities attached to the poultry house, wherein lighting facilities included in the attached facilities for irradiating poultry with light include a semiconductor light source emitting light having peak wavelength in the range of 550 to 650 nm.
By the present embodiment, a method of raising poultry that can increase meat and egg yield can be provided. Further, a method of raising poultry that can improve safety and economic efficiency can be provided.
According to a further aspect, the present embodiment provides a luminescent device for raising poultry, comprising a semiconductor light source having peak wavelength in a range of 550 to 650 nm.
According to the present embodiment, a luminescent device for poultry raising that can increase meat and egg yield can be provided. Further, a luminescent device for poultry raising that can improve safety and economic efficiency can be provided.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, a poultry raising system, poultry raising method and luminescent device for raising poultry that can increase meat and egg yield can be provided. Further, a poultry raising system, poultry raising method and luminescent device for raising poultry that can improve safety and economic efficiency can be provided.